SL ordinance links mayor pay to 'completion of duties'

 SOAP LAKE — If Soap Lake mayor Peter Sharp wants to receive his monthly $600 stipend, he will need to show “satisfactory completion” of the duties and responsibilities of that executive position. Which will be determined by Soap Lake city council members, who approved a new ordinance Wednesday that specifies performance expectations from the mayor’s office.

Voting unanimously for the measure were Andrew Arnold, Kayleen Bryson, John Carlson, Susan Carson, and Judith Gorman.

It underscores the ongoing tension between Sharp and the council, which expressed no confidence in the mayor with a symbolic vote in March — a move later supported in a letter from nine city employees.

Last month, the council tabled action on an initial proposal to cut Sharp’s monthly pay from $600 to zero, saying more time was needed for research.

But several members said the mayor had been unresponsive to information requests regarding regular city business, plus state auditors and law enforcement investigating whether Sharp secretly recorded employees and gifted public funds or made unauthorized expenditures without council approval. The council okayed a resolution which revoked the mayor’s access to city bank accounts and credit card use and directed city staff to preserve all physical and electronic documents during his mayoral tenure. Members said the information needed to be safeguarded for review by auditors and investigators.

Sharp, in turn, indicated he has been unfairly targeted by the council and city attorney in an effort to force him out of office following his interim appointment in August 2024 and election last November to an unexpired two-year term which began this January. The mayor disputed their authority to alter his compensation, saying state law and Soap Lake’s own municipal code don’t permit an elected incumbent’s salary to be adjusted during their current term.

But city attorney Julie Norton of Wenatchee disagreed, saying the council is responsible for setting the mayor’s salary. Any restrictions or adjustments – typically pay increases – only applied to council members themselves during their current term, she said.

The monthly stipend for the mayor’s position, which is considered part-time, was approved by ordinance years ago by a prior council.

Because Soap Lake does not currently have a local salary commission, the new ordinance says that council members have authority under state law to “fix the compensation of all city officers, including mayor ….”

The ordinance further claims the mayor has been absent from city hall for “extended periods,” failed to attend required meetings with state auditors, refused to provide documentation for public records requests, failed to use established city email accounts for official communications, or timely respond to calls, texts and emails from staff, council members and the public.

Not fulfilling those mayoral obligations hinders oversight of city finances and impairs compliance with state auditing, grant reporting, and public records response requirements. As a result, Soap Lake is at risk of legal liability, loss of grant funding, and the ability to carry out “essential governmental functions" — all of which erode the city’s “reputation and credibility,” the ordinance states.

To assess his future compensation, council members said they will review Sharp’s “performance of executive duties and responsibilities on a monthly basis … (for) a demonstrated and sustained period of satisfactory performance.”

Council members opted to not impose specific hourly requirements for Sharp’s presence at city hall. They also said their role in determining compensation would shift to a salary commission if one is established.

In other business during the May 6 meeting, the council:

√ Unanimously accepted a rescind of a March 20 letter from the city’s legal counsel, the Wenatchee law firm of Ogden Murphy Wallace. In it, attorney Julie Norton said the firm intended to end its services agreement with Soap Lake effective May 19. With the rescind, Ogden Murphy Wallace is expected to continue providing its legal services to the city.

√ Approved a resolution establishing a policy and procedure for processing delinquent utility accounts, including authority for payment arrangements. The policy allows city staff to make “reasonable” payment arrangements before discontinuing water service, provided that full payment plus delinquent charges are made within 60 days of notification. Also, any city employee dispatched to turn off a user’s water must make “a reasonable effort” to inform the customer before terminating the utility service and give them a minimum of 30 minutes to travel to city hall to address the issue. Additional language applies to rental properties and service restoration. Ongoing unpaid charges are subject to a property lien as specified in state law.

√ Was informed by Bryson that the city’s hiring committee had interviewed and recommended hiring a candidate for Soap Lake’s open administrator/treasurer position, but the mayor chose not to hire the applicant.

√ Approved special event permits for the Lava Links Sandblaster golf tournament and Fantasy Croquet event sponsored later this month by the Soap Lake Chamber of Commerce, and a $1,400 allocation for a dumpster and man-hours for a pending community cleanup/free dump day. 

√ Received information pertaining to a state-required update of Soap Lake’s comprehensive plan being prepared by city planner/building consultant Alex Kovach.  The revised plan must be submitted to the Washington Department of Commerce for review in 2027.